Wounded Buck Gores And Kills Hunter

I saw this earlier today.

I think people truly underestimate what a deer can do and how dangerous deer can actually be, particularly as a wounded animal. Personally speaking, never in my life had I had a deer EVER act aggressively toward me, yet I have read of numerous accounts of people being attacked by deer, often during the rut by bucks, sometimes by does with fawns.

I know that as a hog hunter, we tend to have little or no compunction about putting a second shot or more into a downed animal to make sure it is fully dead before approaching. I can't say I have ever spoken with a deer hunter who shares the same sentiment. So you loose a little more meat on a hog with a quality assurance shot, there are plenty of more hogs you can shoot, no problem. If you have to shoot a deer a second time, you run the risk of losing a real percentage of your deer meat potential for the year, or you run the risk of ruining the trophy rack if attempted a head shot.

We never approach downed animals without a gun. Normally, we try to approach from the rear to assess whether or not the animal is still breathing and if it does not appear to be breathing, circle around the back side to the head and check for blink reflex, usually with the muzzle of the loaded rifle. If, on approach, we discover a downed hog that is still on its belly, it will get a second shot (ideally to the brain) before approaching closer to assess breathing. To date, I have only found two on their bellies that were dead, and one was leaning against a tree. All the rest that were on their bellies have been alive.

A friend shot a buck, walked up to it with his gun and poked it = no reaction. He searched for his knife to gut it but had left it in the truck so he laid down his rifle and went back to his truck for his knife. On the way back he saw the buck rise up, stagger around a bit and then take off for parts unknown.

After that he made sure he had his knife AND gun with him at all times while hunting.

This is why I advocate for having a handgun with you even while long gun hunting, a downed deer can be taken even with the lowly .38 behind the ear. I recall a time where I did not have a handgun and only a Mossberg 500, while the buckshot downed the buck it was still hampering to get back up used my Bowie to finish it but I'd rather not have to get close ever again to a dying beast

Double Naught Spy said:

I know that as a hog hunter, we tend to have little or no compunction about putting a second shot or more into a downed animal to make sure it is fully dead before approaching. I can't say I have ever spoken with a deer hunter who shares the same sentiment. So you loose a little more meat on a hog with a quality assurance shot, there are plenty of more hogs you can shoot, no problem. If you have to shoot a deer a second time, you run the risk of losing a real percentage of your deer meat potential for the year, or you run the risk of ruining the trophy rack if attempted a head shot.

We never approach downed animals without a gun. Normally, we try to approach from the rear to assess whether or not the animal is still breathing and if it does not appear to be breathing, circle around the back side to the head and check for blink reflex, usually with the muzzle of the loaded rifle. If, on approach, we discover a downed hog that is still on its belly, it will get a second shot (ideally to the brain) before approaching closer to assess breathing. To date, I have only found two on their bellies that were dead, and one was leaning against a tree. All the rest that were on their bellies have been alive.

Click to expand...

Exactly. And I do this with deer too. Not so much because of perceived danger from deer but rather enough experience of shot deer not staying down. I will never understand why anyone will pass up an easy follow up shot to let a deer get out of their sight....or over a property line.

This is part of why I advocate firearms with big bullets and fast follow up shots. In this instance I agree a bolt action would be fast enough to make an insurance shot but I generally do not advocate for bolt actions.

The Evangelist Cowboy said:

This is why I advocate for having a handgun with you even while long gun hunting, a downed deer can be taken even with the lowly .38 behind the ear. I recall a time where I did not have a handgun and only a Mossberg 500, while the buckshot downed the buck it was still hampering to get back up used my Bowie to finish it but I'd rather not have to get close ever again to a dying beast

Click to expand...

I definitely do not believe in saving ammo most of the time. If it’s not dead I shoot it again. I shot a decent doe with a 12 gallon (haha) foster slug once and it dropped like a sack of potatoes. I stayed on it for a second to see if a follow up was needed. It was moving but I figured it was out for the count. I was young and dumb. I made to get out of my blind and the deer jumped up and ran off never to be seen again. No idea what could have happened. Small amount of blood was all. The next year the biggest buck of my life walked out at 15 yds and I put one right into both lungs. It dropped right there but was flopping it’s head a bit. Shot it once more and it went still. Approached it at the ready. And eyepoked it. He was done.

I would definitely rather put another round (or two) into a not-dead-enough animal than risk spending the next two hours trying to find it. Ammo is cheap compared to time.

Patocazador said:

A friend shot a buck, walked up to it with his gun and poked it = no reaction.

Click to expand...

I often see people do this and try to explain to them that "poking" an animal is hardly a way to tell if it is dead or not. Heck, I have known folks you would practically have to whack with a baseball bat to rouse them from the slumber. That is why it is best to check an involuntary reflex such as the blink reflex to see if the animal is still responsive enough or not.

Eye poke is the best. It is even taught in the military as part of the process before searching an enemy body.

So you loose a little more meat on a hog with a quality assurance shot

Click to expand...

Only if you eat brains.

2 guys I went to high school with had issues with “dead” deer which makes me shoot til it drops or give it PLENTY time. One deer came to life when he got belly poked to field dress and the guys were lucky that they got out of its way and let the .41 sing another lullaby.

The other guy hit a deer in a ford ranger. Deer went through the windshield and basically landed in the passenger seat. Came to life after he had kicked the remains of the windshield out and was driving home, deer still in passenger seat. Truck was totaled by the time they put 2 44s through the deer and out the back of the cab.

If those deer weren’t dead enough then any of them can cause problems.

Animals are unpredictable.
Feel bad for the hunters family.
I would always recomend a handgun for any hunter (or anyone, anywhere at any time) just in case.

Wow. That is absolutely tragic. I feel for the poor guy's family.

I saw a deer kill a dog once, a Husky. Kicked it down and then stomped it several times. Fast. They can do harm.

I've read other articles that are reporting they don't know how he died, and an autopsy likely won't be performed to find out. They state that another medial problem, such as a heart attack may have been what killed him, but that he did have some puncture wounds.

Sucks for sure. I've seen it happen to others, but in the 100+ whitetail I've killed, none ever got back up when I got to them. I had to shoot two or three with an final shot when I got there, but I've never had anything remotely close to a deer getting back up. I've seen videos of it happening to others, but I don't know anything at all about their shot placement or bullet construction. I normally take double lung shots with ballistic tips, soft points, Accubonds or similar, and they all come apart, turning the lungs to jelly. Tough to get up and fight when you've got no lungs. I usually wait 20 minutes, and I also poke an eye with my rifle barrel when I get there, with a new round in the chamber just in case.

I think part of the issue is, especially those folks that don't have a lot of success, is that folks are so excited about going up and grabbing the antlers. In their excitement, they just assume, down is dead. Can't count the amount of times I've had other hunters ask me if they could touch the antlers of bucks I have shot. Nor can I count the number of times I have seen bruises on the faces or chest of folks that got kicked when walking up to a downed deer. Even when mortally wounded, between their horn and their hooves, they are capable of hurting you badly.

The article I read said the hunter may not have died from his wounds, but from a heart attack. I also read the deer got up and ran away and the DNR was going to use dogs in an attempt to find it and dispatch it, if mortally wounded.

Why is it that when I read this story, in the back of my mind I hear Toby Keith singing “I ain’t as good as I once was”....

OK guys I'll be the black sheep, whilst I agree that insurance is a great idea, I'll reiterate again and again......handguns may not be a legal option and in some cases, choice of handgun in itself may not be legal. Whilst everyone SHOULD know their local regs and/or take interweb advice with a grain of salt, general recommendations (well intended they may be) could very well be a recommendation to break local laws. In this state (and yes this has been discussed online, read thoroughly, and discussed with the game warden as well) carrying a weapon not specifically meeting the requirements of the current season will result in fines etc..... so if you're an archer with your edc (or anything other than the bow, arrows, and knife), you're hunting illegally, if you're in bp season and carrying a center fire of any kind or a bp handgun that doesn't meet the hunting regs, (e.g. sheriff's model .36) you're hunting illegally, if you're hunting during firearm season and carrying a handgun with less oomph than a hot, heavy-loaded long barreled .327, hot loaded .357, or 10mm, you're hunting illegally. So while the best insurance that can be managed under the circumstances is always recommended, I do disagree with the generalized recommendations that could potentially violate local laws.

The Evangelist Cowboy said:

This is why I advocate for having a handgun with you even while long gun hunting, a downed deer can be taken even with the lowly .38 behind the ear. I recall a time where I did not have a handgun and only a Mossberg 500, while the buckshot downed the buck it was still hampering to get back up used my Bowie to finish it but I'd rather not have to get close ever again to a dying beast

Click to expand...

Just carry the gun you are hunting with and keep it loaded. Unless it is legal to HUNT with the 38, it is not legal to "put one down with a 38 behind the ear".

If I'm carrying and hunting deer with a 12 gauge shotgun and NEED a 38 to back it up, I've got a lot more problems than a deer on the ground.

Patocazador said:

A friend shot a buck, walked up to it with his gun and poked it = no reaction.

Click to expand...

gspn said:

I've read other articles that are reporting they don't know how he died, and an autopsy likely won't be performed to find out. They state that another medial problem, such as a heart attack may have been what killed him, but that he did have some puncture wounds.

Click to expand...

I would be willing to be that if it was a heart attack, the heart attack was brought on by the trauma/stress of the attack, exposure/wait time after the attack, blood loss, and/or treatment for the attack. In other words, it probably wasn't a coincidence that he had a heart attack at that time (if it was a heart attack).

horsey300 said:

OK guys I'll be the black sheep, whilst I agree that insurance is a great idea, I'll reiterate again and again......handguns may not be a legal option and in some cases, choice of handgun in itself may not be legal.

Click to expand...

True, but I don't know why people are hung up on carrying pistols. Why not carry the rifle you used in the first place? I have seen a bunch YouTube vids where hunters go to check their kill and they go unarmed. Weird.

Here are other incidents of wounded deer attacking the folks that shot them...

This guy was attacked by a deer he shot and in the attack, the sling of his rifle got entangled with the deer and the gun was loaded with the safety off!?!?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/31/wounded-deer-injures-hunter/5076957/

This guy fought with a deer he had shot and finally killed it with his knife, but not before suffering lacerations to his liver. He was found, deceased.
https://www.bowhuntingmag.com/editorial/wounded-buck-kills-indiana-hunter/310714

This guy did take a rifle to inspect his deer, that he had already shot twice, but the deer was not dead and attacked him. He apparently shot it twice more after the deer collapsed.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wo.../Wounded-deer-attacks-hunter-who-shot-it.html

Crossbow hunter attacked by wounded doe he shot...
https://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-wisconsin-hunter-attacked-by-deer-20150104-story.html

Jack Ryan said:

Just carry the gun you are hunting with and keep it loaded. Unless it is legal to HUNT with the 38, it is not legal to "put one down with a 38 behind the ear".

If I'm carrying and hunting deer with a 12 gauge shotgun and NEED a 38 to back it up, I've got a lot more problems than a deer on the ground.

Click to expand...

^^^This.

I've told this story before, but I'll tell it again, cause it's a good one. My best friend(God bless his soul) hit a nice buck one morning behind his house while bow hunting. Deep snow and lots of blood, he went back to the house, had breakfast, drank some coffee and then went to get his deer, figuring he'd find it dead. Figuring he's find it dead he didn't take his bow. Buck went across the road to the neighbors woods and my friend trailed it easily thru the snow. Finely he jumped the buck outta it's bed and watched it stagger away, almost falling down. My friend figured all he had to do was keep following it cause it looked like it was almost dead. just about the time he figured the deer would go no farther it turned and charged my friend. He jumped outta the way, but the buck turned and charged again this time chasing my friend up a small apple tree. Buck got so close it ripped the backtag off my friends coat. Now my friend is sitting six feet up in a tree with a peed of buck circling the tree. My friend yells for help, but it's during the week and all the neighbors are at work. The buck continues to circle the tree for an hour and my friend realized the deer is not as badly hurt as he thought. With nuttin' on him but a knife and the clothes on his back and the realization the buck is not leaving, nor dying, he removes a shoelace, breaks off a branch and ties his knife to the stick and proceed to stab the buck in the neck whenever it gets close. Finally the buck staggers off and my friend is able to get down outta the tree and go back home and get his bow. Two hours of tracking later, and he puts another arrow into the deer and puts it down for good. Wish there woulda been a video........

earlthegoat2 said:

Exactly. And I do this with deer too. Not so much because of perceived danger from deer but rather enough experience of shot deer not staying down. I will never understand why anyone will pass up an easy follow up shot to let a deer get out of their sight....or over a property line.

This is part of why I advocate firearms with big bullets and fast follow up shots. In this instance I agree a bolt action would be fast enough to make an insurance shot but I generally do not advocate for bolt actions.



I definitely do not believe in saving ammo most of the time. If it’s not dead I shoot it again. I shot a decent doe with a 12 gallon (haha) foster slug once and it dropped like a sack of potatoes. I stayed on it for a second to see if a follow up was needed. It was moving but I figured it was out for the count. I was young and dumb. I made to get out of my blind and the deer jumped up and ran off never to be seen again. No idea what could have happened. Small amount of blood was all. The next year the biggest buck of my life walked out at 15 yds and I put one right into both lungs. It dropped right there but was flopping it’s head a bit. Shot it once more and it went still. Approached it at the ready. And eyepoked it. He was done.

Click to expand...

Literally my only gun was the mo

Jack Ryan said:

Just carry the gun you are hunting with and keep it loaded. Unless it is legal to HUNT with the 38, it is not legal to "put one down with a 38 behind the ear".

If I'm carrying and hunting deer with a 12 gauge shotgun and NEED a 38 to back it up, I've got a lot more problems than a deer on the ground.

Click to expand...

I can use a .38 here in Texas for deer not saying I do but I can. It is easier to have a handgun on you than go up with the long gun. I was using buck shot at time if you never have used it it is not the same effect as a slug going through.

The Evangelist Cowboy said:

It is easier to have a handgun on you than go up with the long gun.

Click to expand...

Yes, but when it comes to self defense, it will be the long gun that has the greater power to stop a threat.

The Evangelist Cowboy said:

Literally my only gun was the mo

I can use a .38 here in Texas for deer not saying I do but I can. It is easier to have a handgun on you than go up with the long gun. I was using buck shot at time if you never have used it it is not the same effect as a slug going through.

Click to expand...

Testimony if I've ever heard it, go using slugs instead of buck shot.

Jack Ryan said:

Testimony if I've ever heard it, go using slugs instead of buck shot.

Click to expand...

This was years ago I was probably 17 not the brightest out there

Double Naught Spy said:

I would be willing to be that if it was a heart attack, the heart attack was brought on by the trauma/stress of the attack, exposure/wait time after the attack, blood loss, and/or treatment for the attack. In other words, it probably wasn't a coincidence that he had a heart attack at that time (if it was a heart attack).

Click to expand...

I have no doubt that the heart attack would've been brought on by the incident either. Plenty of guys die of heart attacks while hunting every year. Sometimes from the strenuous nature of the hunt, sometimes from excitement, and I'm sure if one was attacked by an animal it too could cause a heart attack.

The Evangelist Cowboy said:

This was years ago I was probably 17 not the brightest out there

Click to expand...

I've had a "couple" learning experiences in 65 years myself.